Lizards can be found in all types of habitats except for some Artic regions and inhabit all continents except Antarctica. They range in size from ¾ inch (not surprisingly called the Dwarf Gecko, Sphaerodactylus ariasae) to ten feet long or more (Komodo Dragon, Varanus komodoensis; Crocodile Monitor, Varanus salvadorii). The Dwarf Gecko also holds the distinct honor of being the smallest reptile currently known to exist.

With well over 4,000 species, lizards are by far the largest group of living reptiles. Lizards are such a diverse group of reptiles that it is difficult to definitively describe them. While most lizards have four legs, there are legless lizards (Anguidae family). All lizards have a tail, but in several species it is quite short or otherwise irregular and this fact alone doesn’t distinguish them from many other animals. Most lizards have two eyes and external ear openings, but there are exceptions to this rule too (Dibamidae family). Many lizards are terrestrial, but there are also many arboreal species and even some fossorial ones. All lizards have scales, but these, like the lizards themselves, are highly variable. Notwithstanding all of this variability, most people know a lizard when they see one and it could be nothing else.